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Programs show students how to recognize, avoid potential problem areas
Stop violence before it starts. That's the goal of "Get Real About Violence," one of the most popular violence-prevention programs used in Washington public schools. It teaches students to recognize violent acts, to empathize with victims and to realize their attitudes and behavior can reduce violence or perpetuate it. At the kindergarten level, teachers use frog puppets to demonstrate how to deal with name-calling and bullying. For older children, videotaped scenarios filmed near Tacoma at Narrows View Intermediate School show how students can confront problems on the school bus or playground. "It's real-life stuff," said Lisa Keller, a fifth-grade teacher at Puyallup's Karshner Elementary School. "Get Real About Violence" makes lots of sense to her students, she said. "It gets them talking about what's real in their lives and what they can do to solve problems," said Donna Egge, a counselor at Firgrove Elementary School in Puyallup. In the Tri-Cities, the Safe Towns Project works to convince kids to tell someone when they hear friends/peers making threats. The program, originated by the superintendent of the Kennewick School District, seeks to change the culture so kids distinguish between tattling and responding to warning signals. "There is one thing about human nature. We tell others what we are going to do," observed Superintendent Paul Rosier. Kamiakin High School has started an anonymous hot line for students to tip administrators to potential problems. Principal Bob McMullen said about a half-dozen messages have been left. One of the calls indicated an immediate threat to student safety, he said. Here's a sampling of other programs in use around the state: Cops and Docs: This is a volunteer effort mounted by doctors, police and lawyers to illustrate the medical, emotional and legal consequences of gun violence. It includes graphic slides of gunshot wounds and frank talk from doctors about bullet damage to the human body. The goal is to reduce the number of gunshot deaths and injuries to young people. In Clark County, the program is expected eventually to reach 7,000 to 8,000 seventh- and eighth-graders. It was patterned after a similar program in Seattle. Second Step: This curriculum teaches social and emotional skills to children from preschool to eighth grade. A four-pronged program focuses on empathy (how to appreciate someone else's point of view), impulse control (thinking through the consequences to an action), problem-solving (conflict resolution) and anger management. Based in Seattle at the Committee for Children, Second Step is one of the most widely used programs in the state, with 500 to 700 schools participating. It includes a strong parent-education component. Parents attend six sessions to learn teaching skills in order to reinforce the concepts children learn at home. SAVE: Two schools in Thurston County have started chapters of the national Students Against Violence Everywhere program, which was launched by the Mothers Against Violence in America group. It offers activities to keep kids busy, and teaches them problem-solving and peer mediation skills. Playground Peacemakers: Now in its fourth year, the program at Barge-Lincoln Elementary School in Yakima annually trains about 40 students in grades three through five to cut down on the amount of playground fights and negative attitudes. The kids are chosen based on their grades and get 12 hours of training to solve conflicts nonviolently and record all actions. The trained kids and the kids in trouble decide on an appropriate resolution and punishment. Counseling help: Spokane's West Valley School District has found a solution to the dilemma of too few counselors for its more than 3,000 students. The district has hired several counseling assistants, people trained by district counselors to help balance the load of students needing special attention. The assistants run anger management groups and teach conflict resolution and team-building skills in the classroom, freeing up counselors to deal with daily student crises. Safe Streets: The Tacoma School District links arms with a community group called the Safe Streets Campaign to steer kids away from taking drugs and joining gangs. Under the "village model" sponsored by the district and Safe Streets, Lincoln High School students are trained in how to promote healthy and peaceful behavior in schools and neighborhoods. The teens, for instance, talk to younger kids about coping with the temptations of alcohol, drugs and violence. |